We are now a couple of weeks into our
“Everything I ever Needed to Know in Life I learned from the Andy Griffith Show” message series. This is a great series because it is not only entertaining but it has a lot of lessons for us drawn right from the Bible. Perhaps one of the best comes from the first message of the series. Slow Down! What’s Your Hurry?
Today so many of us can relate to the Rascal Flatt’s song…
Sometimes it feels like this world is spinning faster than it did in the old days
So naturally, we have more natural disasters from the strain of a fast pace
Sunday was a day of rest. Now, it’s one more day for progress
And we can’t slow down ‘cause more is best. It’s all an endless process
I miss Mayberry – Sitting on the porch drinking ice-cold cherry Coke
Where everything is black and white. Picking on a six string
Where people pass by and you call them by their first name
Watching the clouds roll by bye, bye
If you have a stressful job or difficult relationships, these situations probably won’t change overnight. We can miss Mayberry all we want and look back nostalgically on those days but unless we make an effort to keep our priorities straight, no amount of ice cold cherry coke is going to help.
In the Bible we are told that God rested on the seventh day and that he instituted a Sabbath Day for man that was to be a day of rest. Jesus said in
Mark 2:27 “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.
God knows that our bodies can only take so much stress. “Stressed-out people tend to neglect their health in general; they eat poorly, sleep badly, don’t exercise and smoke and drink too much, behaviors that don’t exactly promote well-being.”
If you’re struggling with stress right now — and who of us isn’t? — make sure you stay on top of the basics. Pay attention to what you eat and when you sleep and how much you work, even if you don’t feel like it. Most importantly, make sure that every day you stop what you’re doing, find a quiet space and close the door, and spend some time contemplating the goodness of God.
Solomon said,
“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the well spring of life.” (Proverbs 4:23)
This refers to our spiritual heart — our attitudes, our desires, our devotion to God — and it refers to our physical heart — the organ that keeps us alive day after day. Take care of yourself, physically and spiritually, so that God can use you to bless others.
